| 9781681773162 |
| 1681773163 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Summary
Summary
An acclaimed geologist leads the reader on an adventure through the landscape that absorbed and inspired Charles Darwin.
Everybody knows--or thinks they know--Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologist--on a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna.
Tracing Darwin's footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson sets out on a trek across the Andes, repeating the nautical surveys made by the Beagle 's crew, hunting for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores traces of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. By following Darwin's path literally and intellectually, Rob experiences the landscape that absorbed Darwin, followed his reasoning about what he saw, and immerses himself in the same questions about the earth.
Upon Darwin's return from the five-year journey, he conceived his theory of tectonics--his first theory. These concepts and attitudes--the vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow change; change as a constant feature of the environment--underlie his subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the Anthropocene.
Author Notes
Rob Wesson received a BS in earth science from MIT, and an MS and PhD in geophysics from Stanford University. His career in earthquake research with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) spans four decades. He is currently a Scientist Emeritus at the USGS and his work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. When not traveling to South America or elsewhere, Rob divides his time between his home in Evergreen, Colorado, and the cabin he built near McCarthy, Alaska.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Wesson, scientist emeritus at the U.S. Geological Survey, reexamines Darwin's life and his Beagle voyage to illuminate the great scientist's contributions to geology. Though known best for the theory of evolution, Darwin was initially given a berth on the Beagle as a geologist. In South America, Darwin's observations led him to the belief that a gradual process of uplift was the primary factor in the changes in the Earth. He also discovered examples of fossilized megafauna and, later in the voyage, developed a theory of the formation of coral atolls. Wesson journeys to some of Darwin's destinations, both to examine the theories in context and to evaluate the effects of recent earthquakes. He quotes Darwin often; giving readers a sense of Darwin's thought processes and occasionally beautiful writing. Darwin's theory of uplift was superseded by plate tectonics in the mid-20th century, but Wesson reminds readers that Darwin "simply did not have enough of the pieces to solve the puzzle." Later chapters address the development of the concept of plate tectonics as a logical follow-up to Darwin's work as well as current theories on megafauna extinction. Readers interested in Darwin, the earth sciences, and field-based research will find this well worth their time. Agent: Jane von Mehren, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
The famous author of the theory of evolution, Darwin himself evolved in a surprising way. In this recovery of Darwin's early adulthood, Wesson reminds readers that the great naturalist began his scientific career as a geologist framing his first daring hypotheses in geological, not biological, terms. As Wesson recounts the famous voyage of the Beagle most of which he has personally retraced the author details the professional collaboration between Darwin and the ship's scientifically curious captain, Robert FitzRoy. Together, Darwin and FitzRoy puzzle over erratic boulders on the vast plains beneath the Andes and struggle to interpret the earth-forming effects of the earthquake they experience and the volcano they witness. Wesson acknowledges that Darwin erred in some of his geological theorizing about phenomena he and FitzRoy scrutinized, but Wesson still credits him with pointing the way toward modern tectonics. More important, the basic premises of Darwin's bold but flawed geological theory later undergirded his even more revolutionary and successful biological theorizing. An illuminating retelling of a neglected episode in epoch-making science.--Christensen, Bryce Copyright 2017 Booklist
Table of Contents
| A Note on Quotations, Spelling, and Names | p. xi |
| Prologue A Peculiar Obsession | p. xiii |
| Part 1 Darwin in the Field | p. 1 |
| 1 The Lieutenant and the Beetle Collector | p. 3 |
| 2 Field Trip with a Master: The State of Geology | p. 25 |
| 3 Setting Out: The Adventures Begin | p. 43 |
| 4 The First Years of the Voyage | p. 63 |
| 5 Patagonia: The Great Workshop of Nature | p. 85 |
| 6 Maria Graham and the Debate on the Causes of Elevation | p. 111 |
| 7 Darwin's Earthquake | p. 129 |
| 8 The Andes Arising | p. 147 |
| 9 Coral Reefs and the Sinking Bottom of the Sea | p. 169 |
| Part 2 Darwin Theorizing | p. 187 |
| 10 Faith Comforts, Facts Persuade | p. 189 |
| 11 The Theory Comes Together | p. 209 |
| 12 Extending the Theory: The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy | p. 227 |
| Part 3 Back On Darwin's Trail | p. 249 |
| 13 From Uplift to Evolution | p. 251 |
| 14 From Natural Selection to Plate Tectonics | p. 273 |
| 15 In the Beagle's Wake | p. 297 |
| 16 The Chilean Earthquake of 2010 | p. 319 |
| 17 Now You See Them, Hew You Don't | p. 341 |
| 18 Reflections: What Does it All Mean? | p. 361 |
| Notes | p. 385 |
| Bibliography | p. 419 |
| Photo Insert Credits | p. 441 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 445 |
| Index | p. 449 |
